The con, or the "sting", used on Shaw is almost beyond description; it is so elaborate and tricky, and involves perfect timing and quick thinking from our heroes. Newman pretends to be a gambling boss, who one day plays a game of poker with Shaw and surprises him by winning all the money. Shaw is so angry he takes it out on Redford, as Newman`s errand boy, but Redford then tells Shaw that he wants his help in taking the business out from under Newman. Redford "helps" Shaw by letting him in on rigged horse races, which are announced at a phoney betting room set up by Newman, Redford and company, with the races announced by a crony in the back room. Shaw suspects nothing, and is led by the impulse of greed, and his fragile ego, until the surprise ending.
The reason this film is refreshing is because, even as violence threatens our heroes frequently, the type of revenge presented here is non-violent. Most typical revenge movies employ the eye-for-an-eye motif, but this movie does not. A key piece of dialogue is when Redford says to Newman about Shaw: "I don`t know enough about killing to kill him." and that sets the tone for the rest of the picture. We will not get mindless violence or morose attitude; instead, we receive wit and cleverness, and are well-entertained. What could have been a thriller becomes light comedy.
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